Bachelor of Arts in Theater Arts

The study of theater at Brandeis is designed to foster the growth of well-rounded theater artists. Through experiential learning, practical training and intellectual inquiry, studentsmaster skills in writing, design, acting, movement, directing and production.

Study is grounded in theater history, literature, criticism and methodologies from a culturally diverse point of view. Whether creating an original project or working with a classical text, students are given the opportunity to holistically engage in the study and making of theater in a way that illuminates the human condition and celebrates the power of community.

Why Brandeis?

Students study acting, directing, dance and movement, theater literature, and stagecraft and design. Students can develop their own material and perform their own work in campus theaters. Faculty members advise students regularly, and often students are offered internships and paid positions in theaters in Boston, the Berkshires and New York.

Academics and Research

Students have the opportunity to work professionally alongside faculty in the students’ chosen fields. Students assistant stage manage, assist on designs, work in shops, and perform and dance alongside their teachers in a rich, pragmatic learning environment that is unlike any other.

We encourage our students to take on a senior thesis project, and many choose to write and create original work under faculty advisement. For example, one student conducted an independent study on dance therapy and is now pursuing a degree in dance therapy from Tufts University.

Almost all of the courses in theater arts are experiential by nature. Popular courses include “Suzuki” and “Collaborative process.” We offer guest artist workshops and classes with visiting directors, choreographers, actors and designers. Many of our students spend the summers working alongside professional theater artists at a variety of theater companies.

Student and Faculty Excellence

Brandeis theater faculty are recipients of awards, including the National Endowment of the humanities Fellowship; the Elliot Norton Award for outstanding Sound Design; the “Best of Boston Theater 2007” award for “macbeth”; and the Theodore and Jane Norman Fund for Faculty research and creative arts projects.

As one committed to exploring the connections between theater and social justice, a theater alumna spent her summer in India working on the creation and performance of a theater piece in partnership with poor communities in mumbai. At the Berkshire Theatre Festival in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, a theater graduate trained in an ensemble, learned the intricacies of production and performed in one of the festival’s three staged plays. Another graduate was selected to direct the Emerson Theater Collaborative’s summer production, “Picasso at the Lapin Agile,” in an internship that combines hands-on directing responsibilities with supervision and instruction from experienced artists in the environment of a professional theater company.

We encourage our students to take advantage of the study abroad program. England is an international leader in the drama education movement, so programs like the London theater study abroad program and the Globe Theater program in design and stage management are most popular. Students also have studied theater in South Africa, Russia, Ireland, Israel and Ethiopia.

Careers and Alumni

Anneke Reich ’13 co-founded Artists’ Theater of Boston, a company dedicated to artistic collaboration in the production of low-cost, accessible theater that critically deconstructs and recreates influential work. Its spring 2014 performance of Charles Mee’s “Trojan Women: A Love Story” starred Anneke as Andromache, as well as Ernest Paulin ’10, Greg Storella ’11, Corrie Legge ’14 and Eliza Dumais ’14. The production was directed by Tony Rios ’11.

You might choose the theater arts minor to complement a major in American studies, economics, education, English, Near Eastern and Judaic studies, psychology, women’s and gender studies, or another field. See the requirements for the minor in the University Bulletin.

Undergraduate Advising Head

Contact Professor Jennifer Cleary to learn more about how the theater arts curriculum is structured and what you would need to do to major in this field.

“When I think about being a theater major at Brandeis University, I think about passion. When you’re there, you’re surrounded by students passionate about the work they do, the classes they’re taking and the global ensemble they hope to create. The faculty members care deeply about the students and fuel their enthusiasm with a true passion for passing along their love for the art.”